Two of the last four national champions were led by freshmen-heavy rosters. The other two years, Final Four programs that fell short rode freshmen. Of the top five in the Associated Press’s top 25, three — No. 2 Kentucky, No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Duke — are depending greatly on them, and No. 3 Maryland will count on center Diamond Stone to anchor its frontline.

The one-and-done era is here and not going anywhere. Experience still matters in college basketball, but not nearly as much as it used to. Recruiting never meant more to the sport for the coming season — the decisions of 17-year-olds now impacting which programs cut down the nets the following year in March and April. And this year is no different.

Get to know the immensely talented prospects who will become stars this season below:

Skal Labissiere
F, Kentucky

He is a survivor, making it out of Haiti in 2010 during the tragic earthquake that crushed his family’s home, and to the biggest stage of college basketball — Kentucky, the unofficial home of the one-and-done NBA prospect. Labissiere isn’t your typical 6-foot-11 freshman. He is equally as adept on the perimeter as in the paint, blessed with an incredibly soft touch and passing prowess, but he is also an eraser on the defensive end, a shot-blocking menace who will serve as the backbone to the Kentucky defense.

Ben Simmons
F, LSU

Built like a tank, but possessing the skills of a guard, the 6-foot-10 Aussie import already has done the unthinkable: Make the fine folks of Louisiana care about hoops before February. Simmons can play — and guard — every position on the floor. He has shown the hype — and there has been plenty — is warranted, leading LSU in virtually every statistical category during its summer exhibition trip to Australia.

Jaylen Brown
F, California

There are athletic wings, then there is Jaylen Brown. The 6-foot-7 Georgian specimen’s 360-degree, between-the-legs dunk during warm-ups of the Cal Blue & Gold Scrimmage went viral. But he is more than a highlight reel waiting to happen. He is a versatile defender, strong enough to guard big men, quick enough to handle guards, and clutch, too. Brown led Wheeler High School to its first state in five years last season, hitting the game-winning free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining.

Jamal Murray
G, Kentucky

The latest big-time Canadian import, Murray’s decision to bypass his final year of high school turned the Wildcats freshmen class from solid to sensational. His immense potential was on display in Kentucky’s exhibition opener, the explosive and well-rounded 6-foot-4 guard coming within one rebound of a triple-double. The Harrison twins are a distant memory in Lexington now.

Malik Newman
G, Mississippi State

The 6-foot-3 guard is cut from a different cloth than most elite prospects, and that’s not just because of his innate scoring ability. A four-time state champion in high school who scored 3,108 career points and was a junior gold medalist, Newman is a leader, not a follower. He spurned a number of established powers, such as Kentucky and Kansas, to stay home at Mississippi State — his father’s alma-mater — and help new coach Ben Howland build a winner.